Memphis Mojo Rub™ Smoked Ribs & Chicken
Introduction
This is Mama Miche and today in My Magic Kitchen: Smoked Ribs and Chicken with Memphis Mojo Rub™!
Yes, this week in My Magic Kitchen, we won’t be in the kitchen much at all. It’s officially summer and summer means we smoke! We will let Jeffro do the main course, cuz he is smokin’ ribs and chicken! I smoke the cannabis and he smokes the meat. And today, the meat is some smack yo’ mama fall-off-the-bone, slow-cooked Memphis Mojo Rubbed ribs and chicken. Low and slow. That’s the secret of perfect smoked meat. That and his special Memphis Mojo Rub™.
It’s entirely his creation that we went through many versions to arrive at. If you know my hubster, you know the Virgo in him makes him profoundly focused and he experimented and kept records of every single detailed alteration of his recipe. It really went from great to mouthgasm. To top it off, he created a delectable BBQ sauce. If you like it saucy, you’ll love this! Now, here’s the shocker about our new blend & sauce. No added sugar!
Jeffro uses natural maple syrup and honey to get the sweet in the meat. It tastes better and it’s better than adding a ton of cane sugar and brown sugar to the rub and the sauce. As he discussed in a previous post, the great Memphis Barbecue he grew up on was tasty and inspiring, but they all have a lot of sugar in the recipes. He couldn't find any products without sugar, so he made his own.
He found a great recipe for the brine he used for the chicken at https://www.recipetineats.com/chicken-brine-recipe/. He’s tried many different recipes and this one is his favorite. Not too much salt and a lot of other great flavors to deliver a juicy bird, with or without his rub and sauce on it.
My family has a history of diabetes and Jeff is pre-diabetic, so we really steer away from foods that contain added sugar. The more processed the food, the less likely to have any health benefits. As we get older, and as all the people blessed to advance in age know, it’s not fucking easy. If you suffered any trauma in your life, and so many of us have, if we survived all that, now we have to survive the repercussions of all that and possibly the repercussions of the not-so-healthy ways we dealt with trauma in the past. The best we can do now is be grateful to still be here and treat our bodies and the time we have left with reverence and respect.
Most of all, have fun, eat well and let Mama Miche help make your kitchen Magic.
Support a small, mom & pop biz! Buy, like, share, subscribe!
The brine recipe comes from Recipetineasts.com
Tools
Large pot or container
Knife
Cutting mat
Plastic Wrap
Whisk
Measuring cups and spoons
Mixing Bowls
Basting Brush
Meat injector (optional)
Smoker (see notes)
Wood chunks and charcoal or
Wood chips and smoking box (if using propane grill)
Metal bowl
Food Safe Spray Bottle
Aluminum Foil
Butcher Paper
Meat Thermometer
Ingredients
1 or 2 Racks of Babyback Ribs
1 whole roasting chicken (6-8 lbs)
Honey
Colemans Prepared Mustard
Olive Oil
Memphis Mojo Rub™
Barbecue Sauce (optional)
1 can of beer
Brine (courtesy of Recipetineasts.com)
2 liters / 2 quarts water, cold tap water
1/3 cup kosher or cooking salt, NOT table salt (Note 1)
2 lemons, quartered
10 sprigs parsley, fresh
7 sprigs thyme
2 sprigs rosemary
5 bay leaves, fresh (or 3 dried)
1⁄4 cup honey
6 garlic cloves, smashed (Note 3)
1 tbsp black peppercorns
Spray Mixture
1 cup water
¼ cup Apple Cider Vinegar
¼ cup apple juice
1 tsp olive oil
Directions
Prep Time: 15 minutes + 12 hours. Cook Time: 6 hours
Prepare the Chicken and Ribs
Remove the membrane from the back of the rack(s) of ribs
Clean out the cavity of the chicken and wash inside and out
Brining (courtesy of Recipetineasts.com)
Pour about 1/3 of the water into a large pot (large enough for the brine and submerged chicken) with remaining Brine ingredients. Bring to boil boil 1 minute, stir to dissolve salt.
Remove from heat, pour in remaining water. Cool completely before using (I cool about 30 min then refrigerate 1 1/2 hours). DO NOT put chicken in before full cool, this is a health hazard (Note 4).
Flip chicken upside down (so legs and breast are on underside. Submerge chicken in brine, cover and refrigerate for 12 – 24 hours (Note 5). Don't worry if underside of chicken doesn't stay under water – the the breast side is, that is what matters.
Rib Rub Prep
Mix 2 parts mustard to 1 part honey in a small bowl and mix well.
Brush mixture all over the ribs.
Sprinkle generously with Memphis Mojo Rub™ to desired coverage.
Wrap racks in plastic wrap and refrigerate 12 – 24 hours.
Prep for Smoking
Remove ribs and chicken from the refrigerator. Remove the chicken from the brine. Reserve a cup of the brine if using a meat injector and discard the rest.
Allow ribs and chicken to get to room temperature.
Chicken Rub Prep
Optional – use a meat injector to inject the reserved brine into the breasts and thighs (Note 6)
Brush olive oil over the chicken (you can add a little honey to the mixture if desired)
Sprinkle Memphis Mojo Rub™ over the entire chicken. (Note 7)
Cooking
The time you need to prepare and tend to your grill or smoker will vary on what you have and the fuel you are using. If you are new to slow cooking, see my notes below.
Place a metal bowl of water under the side where the meat will cook. Add the can of beer
Preheat chamber to 250º F – ensure the temperature is maintained throughout the cooking process
Place the ribs meaty side down on the grate.
Place chicken breast side down on the grate
Close up the chamber and keep it closed!
Spray chicken/ribs with spray mixture about every 30 minutes
Flip chicken/ribs over about every 60 minutes
Cook ribs for 3 hours, remove from cooking chamber. Brush on barbecue sauce (optional) and wrap in butcher paper and then foil and place back into chamber for 1 – 2 hours.
Cook chicken until the internal temperature of the breast reaches at least 165º
Let rest for 15 minutes before serving
Notes from Jeffro:
The Internet has countless websites that offer advice on the best smokers, tips, and tricks. I have read many of them, but my notes below are my take on the art of cooking barbecue. I am by no means an award-winning pit master or expert on the subject, but I have been doing it for many years and get compliments every time I serve up my barbecue. So I am just sharing what I know, and make no claims that it is the best advice out there.
Smoker Notes
A purpose-built smoking rig is the best option if you have one. There are many styles and options on the market and can range from a couple hundred to a few thousand dollars. But if you are not a pit master with a killer rig, you can probably use what you have. Just set up your grill so the heat source is on one side and the meat is placed on the other side. All that is needed is enough room to hold whatever you are smoking and sufficient horizontal space between that and your heat source. You also need to have airflow so the heat and the smoke move around the meat.
Fuel – There are several options you can use:
Wood chunks/lump charcoal – I use this combination. There are a variety of woods available that produce different flavor profiles that can be used alone or in combinations. I like to use apple or cherry and hickory with pork and chicken. The chunks produce a good amount of smoke and burn nicely. After the first few hours of cooking, the meat has absorbed about all the smoke flavor it is going to absorb, so I switch over to lump charcoal. I prefer lump to briquets because there are no added chemicals needed to make those nice little shapes; it’s just natural charred wood. With this option, you will need to build a small fire and tend to it frequently to ensure a consistent temperature throughout the cooking process.
Gas/Propane and wood chips – This option does allow for less maintenance but it does not produce quite as much smoky flavor. You will need a smoker box and some wood chips that you have soaked for a few hours to get the smoky flavor. Most gas/propane grills do not have great airflow inside the chamber, however.
Wood Pellets – Wood pellet grills and smokers provide the combination of consistent temps and less maintenance from gas with the natural flame and smoke of wood/charcoal. I avoid pellets for the same reason I avoid charcoal briquets. Plus pellet grills and smokers require electricity to operate, so there is added cost associated with their use and requires an outdoor source of electricity.
Electric and wood chips – These are nifty and are very accurate, provide consistent temperature and offer a set-and-forget option for smoking. But they are expensive, even for small models, and require a power source.
Brine and Prep Notes
1. SALT – important!! Must use kosher salt or cooking salt (same thing, different name in different countries) which are larger grains than table salt. If using table salt (ie the fine grains of salt served at the table that you put on your food), decrease by 2 tablespoons.
2. Brine flavorings substitutions:
• Honey – sub same amount maple syrup, or 1/4 cup brown sugar
• Fresh herbs – use more of one of them, switch out with sage leaves or other fresh herbs of choice. OR use 1 tbsp dried herbs of choice
• lemons – lime, or oranges, or leave out
• Peppercorns – sub 1/2 tsp ground pepper
3. Garlic, smashed – smack palm of hand down on side of knife to make garlic burst open but largely stay in one piece. Can sub 2 tsp jar paste, in emergency.
4. Warm brine = cosy environment for bacteria to start forming in chicken = health hazard! Brine must be completely chilled before putting chicken in.
5. Brining time – 12 hours is enough, 18 to 24 hours is ideal. Don’t go longer than 24 hours because the chicken starts getting too salty. You can take chicken out, pat dry and refrigerate for a while until cooking.
6. Injecting Reserved Brine – I find if you do this when you brine and not after, the chicken tastes a little too salty and the texture is off.
7. Rubbing the Chicken – I recommend covering the breast side on the plate and the back side once it’s on the smoker
(Notes 1-5 courtesy of Recipetineasts.com)
